Kite



Patented July 2, i946 KITE Alberto A. Concepcion, Detroit, Mich.

Application January 24, 1945, Serial No. 574,298

Claims. (Cl. 244-153) The invention relates totkites, and moreparticularly to an improved kite rigging. 7

One of the principal causes of kite failure in flight is lack of correctbalance. The achievement of precise balance is of especial importance intail-less kites, i. e., kites which do not carry weighted tail stringsor the like to compensate for balancing errors. In kite production, itis virtually impossible to obtain sufficient uniformity in the productto assure correct balance about the center spine. Without built-inbalance characteristics it devolves upon the flier to devise correctivemeasures, and this becomes the source of many failures and muchdissatisfaction.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved kite riggingwhich overcomes the dis-' advantages of incorrect balance.

A further object is to provide a kite rigging which facilitates correctbalancing adjustment at the factory, and which further facilitates suchre-adjustment of the balance as may be needed. These and other objectsand advantages of my invention will appear more fully as the descriptionproceeds.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of kite to which my invention isapplicable.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same kite, showing my improved riggingapplied thereto in its preferred form and arrangement.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the kite with the same rigging, illustratingalternative adjustments.

Fig. 4 is a detail cross-sectional view, to an enlarged scale, of thepreferred form of slide member for adjustment and locking of the bellystring and lateral string.

In accordance with my invention, two cooperating types of adjustingmeans are employed. One type employs a special slide member foradjusting the length of selected portions of the rigging. The other typeemploys projecting hook portions on the frame of the kite for selectivepositioning of the point of attachment of a lateral string to one sideor the other of the center of the kite for adjusting the lateraldisposition of the belly string.

The design and construction of the kite itself may vary in many of itsdetails, and it is to be understood that the particular form shown isselected merely for illustrative purposes except insofar as concerns thenovel features which I will point out particularly. This kite has aframe embodying a center spine In (Fig. 1), an oval member ll secured tothe center spine, a curved member l2 likewise secured to the centerspine and having its ends tied to the oval member by strings l3. StringsMyand l5 also, may be (pro:- vided for furtheroreinforcement and. toback up the paper ortextile frame covering. Diagonal struts l6 aresecured to the centerspineand-to the oval member. The ends of thesestruts project, as at I'LbeyOnd-their intersections with the oval framemember to'provide projecting hookportions overwhich the adjustableloopof a lateral string is slung to provide adjustment of thelateraldispositionof" the belly. string to one side or the otherof thecenter of the .;kite.- A suitable tissue paper or fabric coveringv I8 issecured over the frame of the kite. (Parts of this covering have beenbroken away in the drawing to reveal the frame members.)

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, I will describe mypreferred form of rigging. It comprises a belly string l9 secured at oneend to the frame, as at 20. The other end of the belly string has anadjustable loop passing around the juncture of the spine l0 and oval II,as at 22. The main string 23 attaches to the belly string in thecustomary manner. A lateral string 24 joins the belly string adjacentone of its points of attachment to' the kite, and terminates in anadjustable loop arranged to be slung over one or the other of theprojecting hook portions II of the kite frame to provide the adjustmentof the lateral disposition of the belly string to which I have referredabove.

The adjustable attaching loops of the belly string and lateral stringare formed by passing the string back and forth through an aperturedslide member 25 which is shown more in detail in Fig. 4. In itspreferred form, this slide member has a longitudinal aperture 26 and atransverse aperture 21. This slide may be made of wood, glass, plasticresins or other suitable material. I The lateral string 24 passesthrough the longitudinal aperture 26 and then back through this sameaperture to form the attaching loop 28 which. as we have seen, is slungover one or the other of the hook portions I! formed by the projectingends of the struts I6. Thus the string passes back and forth through thelongitudinal aperture. It also passes through the transverse aperture 27to lock the string in adjusted position. I prefer that the longitudinaland transverse apertures shall intersect at the center of the slidemember. The belly string is rove through one of the slide members 25 ina manner similar to that I have described with reference to the lateralstring 24. The length of the belly string at one side of the point ofattachment of r of portions thereof, the claims.-

the main string is thus easily adjusted, just as 3 is the lateraldisposition of the belly string;

through adjustment of the of the'lateral string.

Depending upon the relationship of the center of air pressure tothecenter of the'kite as represented by the center spine l0, it maybe advanlength and position r portions at each side of the center, a bellystring tageous to transfer the loop 2 8 of the lateral j 5 7 string fromone projecting hook ll to the other.

Such a; condition is represented diagrammatically' in Fig; 3 by thedot-dash lines, the alternate positions of the belly string l9, mainstring 23,

lateral'string 24 and slide member25'being shown at I9, 23, 24 and 25'respectively. It'will be ob-.

served that the center of efifort of the main string is thus moved tothe left of the main spine.

controlled. Thus the connection shown line's gives 'a range ofadj-ustmentfrom the center 1 to the right. Theadjustmenti extremelysimple :andcan be :made in an instant, and. once. made,

thelocking action of the cross apertures of the is further characterizedbya second apertured By also adjusting the length of the string 24 (24)j the extent to which it is moved to the left can be in dot-dash linesgives a range of adjustment from "thecentertothe left, Whereas thatshown in'full slide {members firmly maintain the adjustment, u

insuring correct balance in flight.

V The-terms and'expressions which I have em ployed are used inadescriptive and not a limiting sense, and I have no intention orexcluding such equivalentsof the invention described, or as fall Withinthe purview of Ic1aim;- ,1-.In a'kite rigging, a. belly string, alateral string joining the belly string adjacent oneof its points ofattachment to the kite, thelateral string being arranged to pass backand forth through an apertured slide member .to form a loop forengagement with a projecting portion of the kite frame. V v I 2. In akite, a frame having projecting hook the belly "string.

3. A construction as set forth inclaim 2 which slide member throughwhich the belly string passes back and forth for adjustment of the distance from one of it points of attachment to'its juncture with the mainstring. I

4. In a kite having a belly string, means incor- V porated in the bellystring at one side of its point of attachment to the main string foradjusting the length of the belly string, and means for ad-v justing thelateral disposition of the-belly string adjacent one of its points ofattachment to the kite. I j

5. In a kite having a belly string, means incor porated in thebellystring at one side of it point i of attachment to the main string.foradjusting the length of the belly stringand means for adjusting thelateral disposition of the'belly string adjacent one of its pointsofattachment to the kite, said last-namedmeans 'comp-ri-sing'an aperturedslide member and a string joining the belly string adjacent one of itspoint of attachment and passing through said slide member to form a loopfor engagement with a. projecting portion of the kite frame.

, ALBERTO A. CONCEPCION.

